Improvement in lathes for turning spokes



gUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEOPHILUS DERINGTON, OF DUQUOIN, ILLIOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN LATHES FOR TURNING SPOKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,368, dated January26, 1864.

To all whom it muy concern Be it known that I, T. DERINGTON, of Duquoin,county of Perry, State of Illinois, have invented a new and ImprovedSpoke-Lathe; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which` Figure 1 isafront elevation ot the improved machine. Figs. 2 and 3 show side andsectional elevations of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectionthrough the machine.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalgures.

This invention relates tov an improvement in turning spokes for wheels,whereby the cutters can be fed backward and forward in a direction withthe length of the spoke to be formed, and at the same time guided andcontrolled for giving the required shape to the. spokes, all by one. andthe same pattern.

My invention therefore consists in so constructing and applying thespoke-pattern that it will perform the twofold offices ot' a feeder andguide for the cutters, as will be hereinafter described.

llo enable others skilled in the art to make y 0n the opposite end ofthe shaft of drum B g is a small pulley, a, around which a belt1 passesthat transmits a rotary motion to the double pulley a a2, and thisdouble pulley in its turn communicates motion to the spurred belt-wheelC, through the medium of a belt, I), pulleys c c', and belts d d', asclearly shown in Figs. l and 2, Sheet l. 'lhe belt b passes over agrooved pulley, b', which is keyed to a longitudinallymovable rod, b2,which latter is operated upon by the cutter carriageH at the terminus ofeach stroke, and caused to shift the belt b from one pulley, c, to theother, c', for reversing the motion of the spoke-pattern,

as will be hereinafter further explained. Between the pulleys c c is aloose pulley, c2, over which the operator of the machine can shift thebelt b by giving the rod b2 a slight endwise movement, and thus stop themotion of the spoke-pattern and spoke, at pleasure. The automaticshifting of the belt b from pulley c to pulley c', or vice versa, iscaused by the cutter-carriage striking the arms e e at the terminus ofeach stroke. The reversing of the wheel G is effected by crossing thebelt d. The other belt, d, not being crossed,it will not be necessary,therefore, to stop the motion of the drum B when it is desired toreverse'the. movement of the cutter-carriage, or to remove a finishedspoke and replace a stick in its stead.

The pattern E consists of a long tapering bar of the desired shape,having a spiral groove extending from one end to the other. The largestend of this pattern may be made nearly square in transverse section,gradually diminishing into an elliptical form, as shown in Figs. l and3. To obtain a better idea of this pattern, take a nished spoke and windaround it a thread which will form a spiral groove extending from end toend. This pattern E is suitably centered in the machine, and secured atone end to the shaft of the belt-wheel C, as shown in Fig. l. The wheelC has teeth around its circumference, which engage with a spur-wheel, F,of an equal diameter to wheel C. The spur-wheel F is keyed to a mandrel,g, having a forked holding end, g', and coincident with the axis of thismandrel is an adjustable centering-point, g2, which can be moved in thedirection of its length and secured in place by the crank-nut h, Fig. l.Between the mandrel g and this centering-point g2 the stuff which is tobe formed into a spoke is secured, so that the axis of motion ofthestuff or stick will be in a Vvertical pla-ne with axis ofthe pattern.

The cutters which are used for mal/ing the spokes are right angularknives, secured at regular intervals 'apart to a wheel, G, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2. The rim of this wheel G may be made quite thick, so thatits momentum will be increased, and theknives may be arranged so thatthey will project alternately from right to left, and vice versa. Thiscutter-wheel is keyed to a shaft which has its bearings in a pendentframe or cara longitudinal bar, J. This ,bar has its lower 1 edgebeveled, as shown in Fig. 3, Sheet 2, and this edge rests in notcheswhich are cut in the uppermost transverse bars of the frame A. The lowerend. of the cutter-frame H carries a tooth, a, which tits into thegroove in the pattern E, and which is kept up against the surface ofthis pattern by means ot' a weight, I, that is attached by a cord to thelower end of frame H. This cord passes over a loose travel.- ing pulley,m, which traverses the rod m as the cutters are i'ed up to their work.The weight I rises and falls as it moves trom one end ot' the machine tothe other, and allows the eutl i l ters to accommodatethemselves to themotions imparted to them by the tooth a acting upon the pattern E. abelt, t', which passes up from the driving` drum B, and around thepnlleyj on the shaft of the cutter-wheel. The large end ot' the patternE has a tenon i'ormed on its end, which tits into a square socket-pieceon the shaft of wheel C, and the opposite end of this pattern is held bya centering-screw, on loos ening which the pattern can bc removed andanother pattern ot' a smaller or larger size introduced in its stead.

From the above description it will be seen that I have a cutter t'rameorcarriage, which is constructed and arranged so that while thecutter-Wheel rotates it can be moved longitudinally from one end to theother ot' the frame of the machine, and at the same time made toOscillate and to follow the contiguration oiVl the pattern, againstwhich the tooth n ot' the eutter-frame is constantly pressed by thetraveling weight I, thus making a spoke which will be a counterpart ofthe pattern, but without the spiral thread. The tooth n is acted upon bythe spiral thread on the pattern and thus the cutter-trame, with itsbeveled supporting-bar, is moved along either to the right or to theleft the full length of a spoke,

The cutter-wheel is driven by 3 and upon reaching the end of the spokethe frame H will slide the bar b2 and shift the belt b so as to reversethe feed ofthe pattern, and thereby move the cutter-frame back again. Iam thus enabled to make a spoke at every stroke of the cutter'frame, andto feed the cutters to their work only i ust as fast as they can pertormtheir cutting thoroughly.

By using patterns having tine or coarse threads cut on them the cutterswill be fed along with greater or less rapidity, according to thetineness ot' the threads. Thus for some kinds of wood which are tougherthan others a tine thread may be required on the pattern for giving aslow feeding movement to the cutters.

The oscillating cutter-frame, with its snpporting-bar, may be adjustedlaterally on the trame A, and thus adapted for spokes of dilt'erentsizes, and the notches which are cut in the upper edges of the twosupporting-bars of the trame A, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, serve to keepthebeveled bar J in place when properly adjusted.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Uontrollin g the lateral motion ot' the cutters, and at the same timefeeding them up to the work of matting spokes, by means of a singlepattern, constructed and operating substantially as described.

2. A spoke-pattern constructed with a spiral or screw thread on itssurface, substantially` as and for the purposes described.

3. The oscillating traveling carriage H J, in combination with atraveling weight, I, tooth a, and a spokepattern, operatingsubstantially as described.

THEOPHILUS DERINGTON.

Witnesses:

ENos D. HOGE, J AMES l-rrcHrn.

